Author: huifan Time: 2018-07-03

This weekend the San Diego International Airport opened a new international arrivals facility that processes passengers much more efficiently by using biometric technology, reports the Times of San Diego.

Arriving passengers pick up their bags first before going through passport control, which makes use of facial recognition technology for faster processing. Those with Global Entry cards can complete their processing while waiting for bags and then just scan their receipt.

“We are one of the first in the nation to implement 100 percent biometric or facial recognition technology for arriving international flights,” said CBP Deputy Director of Field Operations for San Diego, Anne Maricich. “Not only will this simplify the arrival process, it is a critical step in our national security mission.”

“It is phenomenal how fast this is,” added William Snyder, port director for CBP “It’s a game changer as far as processing.”

There are currently four gates to process passengers and construction is underway to add two more, which will enable the airport to process three wide-body and two narrow-body jets as the same time.

San Diego International Airport saw more than 400,000 international arrivals in 2017, up from 50,000 passengers a year in the early 1990s.

The World Travel & Tourism Council recently told transport ministers attending the International Transport Forum that the deployment of biometrics technology is key to handling growth in global travel.